Nice to Meet You
by Misha
Summary: Companion to "So You're the One", this is the story of Sharon Carter, Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes after learning they were soulmates.
1. Prologue

Nice to Meet You  
By Misha

**Disclaimer- Not mine. I'm not making any money off this, so please don't sue.**

**A.N- This is the Steve/Sharon/Bucky companion to "So You're the One". Chapter One starts after the events of "Winter Soldier" and about 7 or 8 months before "So You're the One", though the two will intersect after a while. I change a few things from "Winter Solider", which will be obvious in the Prologue. I also played with the idea of soul marks here and decided that soul marks are the words that would be said, not a guarantee that they will ever be said. I hinted at this in "So You're the One" with Wanda's vow never to speak to her soulmate unless he proved himself, though most people wouldn't have the knowledge to make an active choice. However, fate could intervene and one potential soulmate could die before they could meet. The prologue is a different tone than the rest of the story since I use it to set up the idea of soulmates and cover the events leading up to "Winter Soldier".**

**Spoilers- Up to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D episode 2x10 "What They Become" and "Captain America: The Winter Soldier".**

**Rating- PG-13/T**

**Summery- Companion to "So You're the One", this is the story of Sharon Carter, Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes after learning they were soulmates.**

* * *

Prologue

Steve Rogers had been born without a soul mark.

It wasn't something he ever really thought about. At that time, soul marks weren't common, only about ½ the population were thought to have them. Or at least that was what the military scientists told him and even having words was no guarantee of happily ever after. Between two wars, an influenza epidemic and the starvation of the Great Depression, there were a lot of people who never got to meet their soul mates.

Like Peggy Carter. She'd had words on her left ankle, but they were grey and faded.

She'd told him that they'd gone grey before she turned nine. Long before she'd ever heard _"so you're the dame causing all the trouble"_ and she'd told Steve, that she wasn't sure that her soulmate sounded like much of a prize anyway.

Still, he knew she wondered about the soulmate who might have been and it made her a little more cautious. But at the end of the day, she seemed prepared to make her own destiny and Steve hoped that destiny would include him.

He didn't need words on his skin to tell him Peggy was special.

But then he crashed that damn plane and woke up sixty years in the future and suddenly he had a soul mark. In fact, he somehow had managed to have _two_ sets.

_"Who the Hell is Bucky?" _was etched across his shoulders in a scratchy, masculine hand-writing. The words made him wince, though it felt right to have his friend's named tattooed on his skin, a permanent reminder. The other words were written in a neater, more delicate script across his right bicep, _"You must be new here, so let me be the welcoming committee." _

Steve dutifully mentioned the words to Col. Fury, knowing that it was military procedure to record soul marks.

"Soul marks have become more common than they were in your day." Fury told him. "Now 75% of the population has them and most soul pairs will at least meet, though not all of them stay together."

It was just one more way the world had changed in the time he had been gone.

After his initial surprise, Steve felt optimistic about the words on his skin. He'd loved Peggy, he always would, but she was almost 90 and physically he was in his 20s and he was man enough to admit he wanted a physical relationship, the type that was no longer possible with Peggy. So in some ways it was a relief to know that there was someone out there waiting for him, but who and under what circumstances would they come into his life?

* * *

Sharon Carter had always believed that you controlled your own destiny. It was one of the many lessons she'd learned from her great-aunt Peggy.

So despite the fact that Sharon had been born with **two **sets of soul marks, she was determined not to let them influence her. Maybe she'd end up with her soulmates, but maybe she wouldn't. Nothing was set in stone, not even soul marks.

She wondered about her soulmates though. She'd been born with both sets. _"You're even prettier than Steve said you were" _was scrawled across her back, while _"nice to meet you ma'am" _was written on the top of her left foot. From the hand writing she'd say both of her soulmates were men, though one set of writing was much neater than the other and he was obviously very polite. Teenage Sharon couldn't imagine anyone calling her ma'am and she worried she wouldn't meet him until she was really old, but then she told herself that it didn't matter if she did or not. She could have a happy fulfilling life without a soulmate.

After all, look at her Aunt Peggy. Her soulmate had died before she ever met him and she'd gone on to find love twice after that. Then there was her sister, who was divorced with two kids despite marrying her soulmate. More proof that you soul marks didn't guarantee happily ever after.

Sharon grew up and followed in her aunt's footsteps, joining S.H.I.E.L.D as soon as she was old enough. Her work became her life and the idea of meeting her soulmates went on the back-burner. Until the day she got a new special assignment.

All of S.H.I.E.L.D had been buzzing with the news that Captain America had been found after all these years and that he was alive. Sharon had grown up hearing the stories of the great Steve Rogers, her Aunt Peggy's lost first love, and that was one of the reason she'd agreed to Director Fury's request that she move in next door and keep an eye on him. It didn't feel entirely right, especially since she'd be going undercover, but it was part of the job and she couldn't resist the impulse to find out what Steve Rogers was like.

On her first meeting the legend, she smiled and held out her hand. "You must be new here, so let me be the welcoming committee."

Steve blinked and Sharon wondered what she'd said, but after a second he shook her hand and said, "It's nice to meet you ma'am."

Sharon stared at him. How was this possible? Of course, her one set of soul mark did mention 'Steve', but she'd never in a million years considered that it meant _Steve Rogers_.

It also totally changed her mission. S.H.I.E.L.D protocols were that soulmates trumped anything else, unless it was a matter of national security, so Sharon immediately abandoned the planned ruse of introducing herself as a nurse named Kate.

"I'm Sharon," she said quietly.

"Steve." He told her and he seemed a little awkward, trying to figure out how much to tell her.

"I know," she told him, noting his surprise, "my name is Sharon _Carter_. Peggy Carter is my aunt."

Steve blinked, obviously that information through him off, but why wouldn't it? What were the odds that his soulmate would be the niece of his wartime love?

"I think we have a lot to talk about." He said finally.

"I agree," Sharon told him, "why don't you come in and I'll make us some coffee."

* * *

It wasn't an instant relationship, neither Steve nor Sharon was the type to rush into something just because the universe told them too. But they spent time together, getting to know each other and they discussed their third soulmate, wondering who he might be. Both of them were convinced it was a _he_, based both on the masculine nature of the writing and the fact that Steve was bisexual and Sharon was not.

A year passed without any sign of their third and a genuine friendship sprung up between them and in time their relationship became sexual, though Sharon knew that they both felt like something was missing. She knew it was a common problem in soul-triads, that if one member was missing the bond was unstable.

Though that was only one of the problems. Steve was also bothered by Sharon's insistence that they keep their relationship a secret, only informing Director Fury, because S.H.I.E.L.D protocol demanded that she do so, also because he needed to know why she couldn't go through with her mission.

"Aunt Peggy, well… Her relationship with you didn't do her any favors." Sharon had explained. "People had a hard time taking her seriously and I've worked hard to be where I am in S.H.I.E.L.D and I don't want people to suddenly start whispering about my personal life and wondering how that impacts my job."

Steve hadn't entirely understood, but he'd reluctantly agreed. However, a secret relationship came with its own stresses and the bond between them never quite grew the way it was supposed to. Sharon wasn't sure if it was the secrets, their missing third or just proof that soul bonds weren't what they cracked up to be.

Then Steve showed up at her apartment one day and informed her that Bucky Barnes was alive, that he had been programmed to be some sort of assassin known as the Winter Soldier and that he was their third.

"He doesn't know who he is," Steve told her quietly.

"You'll remind him." Sharon assured him. She wasn't sure how Bucky would fit into their lives. He had been Steve's best friend and occasional lover, but he was a stranger to Sharon. Would his presence bring her and Steve together or shatter their fragile bond?

Sharon didn't have much time to think about it because all Hell broke loose. HYDRA was revealed, S.H.I.E.L.D. fell, Fury "died", and the Winter Soldier saved Steve's life before disappearing again.

"What happens now?" Sharon asked Steve quietly after the fighting was over.

"Now I find Bucky." He told her quietly. "He's out there somewhere and he saved me for a reason, I just have to remind him of that. Sam's going to go with me, it's up to you, if you join us."

Sharon hesitated, she'd been offered a place with the CIA and maybe some distance was a good idea, and yet… The universe had picked these two men for her. She'd never met him, but as skeptical as she was about soul bonds, she was connected to Bucky Barnes and the least she could do was help find him.

"I'm in." She told Steve, placing her hand in his.

He smiled and held it tightly and suddenly Sharon had the feeling that just maybe everything would work out the way it was supposed to.


	2. Chapter 1

Nice to Meet You  
By Misha

_Disclaimer in Prologue._

_A.N- The tone of this is a little darker than I'd expected before I wrote it, but then I started thinking about the characters and the situation and where they were in "So You're the One" and this felt natural._

Chapter One

"I got a call from Tony Stark." Steve told Sam and Sharon a few days into their search. "He heard about S.H.I.E.L.D and offered me a place at his Tower. He thinks with S.H.I.E.L.D gone, maybe it's time for the Avengers to assemble on a more permanent basis."

Sharon could see the logic in that. With S.H.I.E.L.D gone, or at least gone underground, the world would need something to protect it and the Avengers were the obvious choice. Despite all the negativity being directed at S.H.I.E.L.D, the world loved the Avengers.

Still, Sharon wondered where this new arrangement would leave her. She glanced over at Sam and saw that he was wondering the same thing.

"He offered the two of you a place as well." Steve told them, correctly reading their expressions. "I explained that Sam was helping me with a mission and that you were my soulmate. I also explained about Bucky and Stark offered all his resources to help us find him."

"This would definitely go easier with Stark's resources." Sam commented.

"What do you think?" Steve asked Sharon.

She looked around the tiny hotel room the three of them were currently sharing and thought about Stark Tower. No doubt it would make her old apartment seem like a hovel. Still, she was a little wary. She wasn't a superhero, she wasn't even soldier; she was a spy, but not up to the level of Romanoff or Barton. She wasn't sure there was a place for her with the Avengers, except as Steve's soulmate, something that made her more than a little uncomfortable.

Despite that concern, Sharon smiled. "It seems like a good plan. We'll probably find Bucky faster with Stark's help." And that was the big motivator. Sharon was invested in helping Steve find Bucky. She knew that they needed to find their third before she could make a decision one way or another about this relationship and if after they found them she decided to bow out, well at least Steve and Bucky would have each other.

"I'll give Tony a call back." Steve told them. "He said he'd send a jet for us whenever we were ready."

"What's Stark like?" Sam asked curiously.

"Rich, arrogant, impulsive," Steve said and then smiled, "but also generous, brilliant and almost as funny as he thinks he is."

Sharon laughed at the description. It was similar to the one Natasha had once given her, though she hadn't put as politely. Still, it would be interesting to meet the one and only Tony Stark in person and it would be nice to have a proper living space again, however temporarily.

* * *

As promised, Stark sent a plane for them immediately and by nightfall they were in New York.

The man himself came to greet them. "Steve, good to see you again." He glanced over at Sam. "You're the one they call Falcon, right? I can't wait to check out those wings of yours." He turned to Sharon. "You must be Sharon. Pepper will be thrilled to have another woman around here."

Sharon was sure it wasn't meant to be dismissive, but that was how it came across. Another reminder that she was only there because she was Cap's soulmate.

"Pepper's currently busy with SI business, so I get to help you settle in." Tony told them as he led them to the elevator. "I'll let the grand tour wait until Pepper is free and for now I'll just show you to your apartments. JARVIS, take us to Mr. Wilson's floor."

"Yes sir." A voice said from out of nowhere, causing Sharon to jump.

"The whole building is run by my AI." Tony explained with a grin. "You'll get used to it eventually." Sharon wasn't so sure about that.

A moment later the elevator let them off on a floor. There was a narrow hallway and two doors. "Sam, this is your apartment." Tony told him, opening one of the doors.

Sam stepped inside and took a quick look around and then turned back to Tony. "You serious?"

"We appreciate the need for personal space here." Tony said casually. "We'll leave you to settle in. Once you're ready, you can meet us in the common area, JARVIS will instruct you."

Sam looked slightly overwhelmed, but he nodded. "Thank you."

Tony led Steve and Sharon back to the elevator. "I put you guys on one of the top floors," he explained, "Same floor as Romanoff and Barton."

"They're here?" Sharon asked in surprise.

"They will be." Tony confirmed. "Natasha had something she wanted to take care of, but she said they'd be here in a few days. Thor is coming from London, along with his soulmate, Dr. Foster and a friend of hers. Bruce is already here."

"You managed to round up everyone." Steve commented.

"And gained a few extra allies along the way," Tony agreed, "Your friend with the wings will make a good addition. I'm glad he decided to come along."

Sharon knew she shouldn't take the words personally, but they had her gritting her teeth. Sam was a useful addition, but she was just along for the ride. It was basically everything she had tried to avoid by keeping her relationship with Steve secret.

Just then the elevator stopped and they got out. "This apartment is yours." Tony told them, opening the door. "It's specially designed for three and with a Super Soldier in mind." Tony grinned at their surprise. "I've been thinking about this for a while, the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D just gave me the excuse to pull it all together." He nodded to the apartment. "I'll leave you to settle in, come find me in the common room when you're ready."

With that he disappeared, leaving Steve and Sharon alone in the apartment.

"How do you want to do this?" Steve asked her quietly. "Separate rooms or…?"

They'd been sharing a bed in the hotel, but mostly because they were all sharing one hotel room and it had two beds so someone had to share and Sharon and Steve made the most sense. But at the same time, it wasn't like they hadn't shared a bed before that.

Sharon also feared that separate rooms would put even more distance between them and she didn't want that. She didn't know how to make things better, but she didn't want to make them worse.

"One is fine." Sharon told him. "Unless you want your own space?"

"No." Steve assured her, "I don't." He reached for her and she went to him willingly. The kiss was intense, but also strangely sweet. "I know this is a strange situation," he told her after they broke the kiss, still holding her in his arms, "but we'll figure it out."

Sharon wanted to tell him everything: her doubts about whether soul bonds really held up, her fear of just being his soulmate and losing her own identity and how lost the whole thing made her feel, but the words wouldn't come out.


	3. Chapter 2

Nice to Meet You  
By Misha

_Disclaimer in Prologue._

_A.N- Since this is in the same universe as "So You're the One", we know that Pepper and Tony aren't meant to be together. In this chapter, I deal with the first meeting between Pepper and Sam. I figure it's part of the overall story, even if it has nothing to do with Steve, Sharon and Bucky._

Chapter Two

Steve was watching Sharon as they took the elevator to the common area of the Tower. She was very withdrawn. He wondered if she regretted her decision to come along.

He wanted to ask her, but he wasn't sure if she would answer. Communication wasn't their strong suit. Maybe because Steve had never really been that great at talking to women. Bucky had been. _Bucky would probably be able to get through to Sharon,_ he thought and once again he hoped he found his friend soon.

Pepper Potts and Maria Hill were in the common area with Tony and Bruce when Steve and Sharon got there.

"Maria, I didn't know you were going to be here." Steve greeted in surprise, after he'd introduced Sharon to Bruce and Pepper.

"I'm not." She told him. "I'm working for SI, but that's it."

"I can't convince her to come along as a consultant." Tony complained.

"You don't need me," Maria retorted, "Not with all the firepower that you'll have."

"None of them are exactly subtle." Pepper pointed out.

Tony frowned at her for a moment, but didn't deny her point. "Super powers aren't everything. I'm sure spy skills would come in handy."

"Well, then you're in luck," Maria told him, smiling at Sharon, "Sharon is just as capable as I am. She was one of S.H.I.E.L.D's best agents."

Steve was watching Sharon and saw that she was pleased by Maria's comment and he realized that was one of the things that was bothering her, she was unsure of her place with the Avengers.

Before anyone could say anything, the elevator doors opened and Sam walked out. "This is quite the place." He told Tony. "I think I could fit the house I grew up in inside that apartment."

"I wanted everyone to be comfortable." Tony said with a shrug.

"Besides Tony doesn't understand the meaning of the word moderation," Pepper added with a smile for Sam.

However instead of smiling back, he took in a sharp breath that had everyone looking at him. "I… I think maybe I should leave." He said, backing away, his eyes still glued to Pepper.

"Wait." Pepper called out, obviously confused. "Did I do something to offend you?"

Sam paused, looking from Tony to Pepper. "No," he said quietly, "not at all. I just don't want to cause any problems here."

Pepper gasped and Tony went completely still. Steve watched the three of them, slowly realizing what was happening. He looked at Sharon and noticed that she was looking at Tony with sympathetic eyes and guessed that she had figured it out as well.

"You won't be causing any problems." Tony said finally. He looked at Pepper and then turned to Steve. "Would you like to see the training facilities? I can give you and Sharon a tour while Pepper and Sam get acquainted."

"I'll come along." Maria said quickly and Bruce echoed his agreement.

Steve and Sharon agreed and the four of them headed to the elevator. Steve saw Tony turn back to look at Pepper for a moment before joining them on the elevator.

"The facilities here are state of the art," he told them, "there are actually two separate gyms. One on the lowest levels is triple-reinforced, I designed it so Hulk could have a space to work out. Thor could also use his powers there without issue."

It was obvious Tony wanted to pretend everything was normal and Steve could respect that. He just wondered what was going to happen now.

* * *

Pepper heard the elevator doors close and knew that she and Sam were now alone.

"We haven't been probably introduced," she said quietly, "I'm Pepper Potts."

"Sam Wilson." He told her quietly, his eyes glued to her face. "I know about you and Stark and… I'm ok with that, we can work on a platonic bond if you want or just ignore the whole thing. Though, obviously I'd have to leave."

"Tony and I are complicated." Pepper said quietly. "He's my best friend and I love him dearly, but it's never quite worked for us romantically, no matter how hard we try. We're not together."

"I thought you and Stark were a thing." Sam said in confusion. "That's what I've always heard, that you were his girl."

"We were." Pepper told him softly, "and I'll tell you all about it, if you like, but we called it quits a while ago. We're better off friends."

For a while things between her and Tony had been really good, but then after a while, it hadn't been and they'd come to the realization that if they kept trying it was going to impact their friendship. So they'd called it quits and she'd moved into one of the other apartments, but everything else had continued as normal. Until now.

She'd always known she had a soulmate and that she'd likely meet him in less than ideal circumstances, but as her 20s turned to her 30s, she hadn't given the idea much thought. Instead, she had decided to make her own destiny.

Tony felt the same way. He'd confided that his soulmate was a lot younger than him, though he couldn't exactly pinpoint when the marks had appeared, other than "sometime in the late 80s, early 90s", and figured that alone meant the deck was stacked against them. So, he'd sworn off relationships in general for the longest time, sticking to casual flings and then he'd tried to make it work with her, but that hadn't worked either. Pepper hoped that as young as she was, his soulmate would turn out to be just what he needed, or if not, then he would find it from someone else. But it wouldn't be her.

"I was hoping to meet my soulmate here," Sam confided after a moment, "when Steve told me about Stark's offer, I had this overwhelming hope."

Thinking back to the words she'd uttered, Pepper could understand that.

"I didn't imagine it would be you, though." Sam continued.

"Are your disappointed?" Pepper asked softly, staring at him. She wasn't. She knew all about Sam Wilson. Not only was he incredibly handsome, but he was very brave and Natasha had told her that he was one of the good ones, which was high praise indeed. She'd been looking forward to meeting him since Tony had told her that he was coming along with Steve and learning that he was her soulmate… It was an unexpected twist, but not an entirely unwelcome one.

"No!" Sam assured her. "I mean, you're beautiful and smart and incredibly capable, who wouldn't be thrilled to have you as a soulmate?"

"Good." Pepper said and stepped towards him. "Because I think you are incredibly handsome and brave and I'm suddenly very glad that you're my soulmate."

She also realized that while it was easy to be blasé about not needing her soulmate before she met him, it was hard to deny the instinctive pull between her and Sam.

Unable to resist the urge, Pepper put her hand on Sam's cheek. "I won't deny that it might be a little awkward at first, but… I want to see where this goes."

"Me too." Sam told her, looking her directly in the eye and then he bent down and kissed her. Pepper wrapped her arms around his neck and returned his kiss happily.


	4. Chapter 3

Nice to Meet You  
By Misha

_Disclaimer in Prologue._

_A.N- Life has been hectic and will probably continue to do so until the end of July when I *finally* graduate because not only do I have one semester of school left, we're also moving beginning of July. Plus, my kids have this amazing tendency to claim my attention, but I will try to post a chapter of either this story or Awakening Quake at least once a week. Though this week I'll be away from Tuesday to Sunday so there may not be any updates until after that._

Chapter Three

After the excitement of the first night at the Tower, the first few weeks flew by.

The other Avengers arrived within a few days of Steve, Sharon and Sam. Thor brought Jane Foster and her friend Darcy Lewis with him and Sharon liked them both immediately. It also helped her feel like less of an outsider.

So did reuniting with Natasha.

"So you guys are finally admitting that you're together?" Natasha had teased upon greeting Sharon.

"You knew?" Sharon asked, though she wondered why she was surprised. It was impossible to keep anything past Natasha.

"Of course I knew." Natasha said with a grin. "So it's not a secret anymore?"

"No," Sharon admitted, "Though we still haven't found our third. I mean, we have, but…"

"We'll find him." Natasha assured her.

Sharon nodded, though she still didn't know what life would hold for her after they found Bucky. She still wasn't sure there was a place for her with the Avengers, though she wasn't as much an outsider as she'd feared.

Natasha vouched for her skills as a spy and the rest of the team seemed happy to put her to use for any missions they might have that required 'subtly', something that it was pointed out that most of the male Avengers didn't do well.

Sam had also been asked to join the team as an official member. Sharon didn't know the details, but she knew that Tony and Sam had had a long private conversation before Sam had agreed. As awkward as the situation could have been, everyone was handling it with grace. Pepper and Sam took a brief vacation to get to know each other better and once they became back, it was as an established couple.

If the sight of the two of them together bothered Tony, he never let it show, but then Sharon guessed that he was a man who didn't show his emotions easily.

Once Pepper returned from her trip, she returned to the task of organizing life at the Tower, including regular girl's nights. "We all need the support and sisterhood," she'd informed them, which had been greeted with laughter and general agreement.

All things considered, Sharon adjusted fairly well to life at the Avengers Tower.

She was even adjusting to living with Steve. Not that it was difficult, he was incredibly tidy person and very considerate. By far the best roommate she'd ever had.

Of course, he was more than a roommate and their relationship gradually grew closer with their shared space and Sharon wondered if she'd created a lot of the distance between them by insisting on keeping their relationship a secret.

Still, while they were becoming closer, it didn't seem as secure as the other bonds she observed. Natasha and Clint appeared to have their own language and Jane and Thor had a comfortable rhythm that Sharon envied. Even, Sam and Pepper, the newest bonded pair, seemed more at ease with each other than Steve and Sharon were.

Sharon hoped it had to do with their missing third and that it wasn't because there was something wrong with _her_ that she couldn't even properly bond with her soulmate.

So, Sharon threw herself into the search for Bucky. She called up all her contacts and did a lot of the ground work, because she was far less threatening than any of the Avengers and people were more likely to talk to her. It also helped her feel like she was earning her place on the team.

Her investigative work paid off and they found a good lead as to where he might be, however much to Sharon's fury, she was being left out of the extraction mission.

"We're not the only ones looking for him," Steve reminded her, "HYDRA will probably show up."

"So?" Sharon had argued. "I can hold my own, I'm a trained S.H.I.E.L.D operative."

"But a very human one," Bruce had told her, speaking for the whole team, "I think we would all be worried about you. Besides, this has to be fast as possible."

No amount of arguing had changed their minds, so Sharon was left at the Tower with the other women, manning the communication station and once again feeling out of place and wishing she'd taken that job with the CIA.

* * *

Steve knew Sharon was angry at him for insisting that she stay home. He could argue that it wasn't his call, but somehow he'd ended up as the leader of the Avengers, so it was his call.

He knew she could handle herself, but he also knew that if she'd come along, he'd spend the whole time worrying about her and he needed to focus on finding Bucky.

It had actually been surprisingly easy. The intel Sharon had gathered was good.

Bucky had been on the defensive, but Steve stepped forward and Bucky had relaxed. "It's you." He said quietly.

"It's me." Steve agreed. "I've been looking for you. I came to bring you home."

Bucky looked at Steve and then at the rest of the team. "And the rest of them?"

"They're friends." Steve assured him.

Bucky seemed wary, but he stepped towards Steve. Just then though, HYDRA decided to crash the party.

The fight was mercifully brief and before long they were all on the jet on their way home.

"I'm Dr. Bruce Banner," Bruce told Bucky, "I'm going to help you. If you'd like."

"Yes please." Bucky told him.

"This is a sedative." Bruce told him. "I'm going to give it to you and then inject you with a memory enhancing drug I've been working on. It should help clear your mind."

Bucky nodded. "I only remember bits and pieces, mostly I remember _him_," he gestured to Steve.

Steve smiled and gripped Bucky's hand as Bruce administered the sedative. Steve had actually been the guinea pig and had let Bruce sedate him to make sure that they got the dosage right, since it appeared that Bucky's modifications were similar to his.

"We're going to keep him secluded for the first few days," Bruce explained to Steve, "You can visit because you're the one thing he truly remembers, but that's it."

"Sharon's not going to like that." Steve pointed out and he felt bad keeping Sharon from Bucky, after all they were all supposed to belong to each other.

"I'll explain my reasons to her if you want." Bruce told him and from the sympathetic look on his face Steve had the feeling that the problems he and Sharon had been having weren't a secret. "I haven't met my soulmate yet," Bruce added, "Though I've resigned myself to the idea that she may not want anything to do with the Hulk."

"I hope you're wrong." Steve told him. "I never had a soulmate before, not many people I knew did, but I always thought it would be easier than this."

"Mated trios are different than regular soul bonds." Bruce told him. "They aren't very common and they only end up completed around half the time and if they aren't completed, they're unstable. I've only read a couple accounts where two partners could make it work without their third, the fact that you and Sharon have been together over a year without Barnes is a good sign."

Steve hoped so, but he wasn't certain. They were lovers and there was a friendship between them, but they didn't have the same closeness he saw in other mated pairs. Sharon was so reserved and he knew she was unhappy, but she wouldn't confide in him. He'd never been good at talking to women, so he had no idea how to even to try to talk to her and really, he'd been so wrapped up in finding Bucky and bringing him home that he hadn't had time to think about anything else. He just hoped that Bruce was right and that things would get better now that they had found Bucky. As thrilled as he was to have his best friend back, Steve didn't want a life with just Bucky—he wanted a life with Bucky _and _Sharon.


	5. Chapter 4

Nice to Meet You  
By Misha

_Disclaimer in Prologue._

_A.N- This is short, I know, but I need to get through the emotional angst. Like "So You're the One" I see two distinct arcs for this story. The first arc will be the relationship drama as they settle into their bond and the second will be action-adventure-romance (and will pick up after the events of So You're the One) and the story should be about 50 chapters in total._

Chapter Four

To Steve's surprise, Sharon took the news about not being able to see Bucky well.

"Whatever he needs to get better." She said softly, but he could see the fear in her eyes.

He didn't push her. He never pushed her. Instead, he promised to keep her informed of the situation and went back to Bucky's bedside. The next weeks passed and slowly Bruce's treatment seemed to work and Bucky seemed to be more like his old self.

They talked a lot about the past. Steve could see that Bucky wasn't ready to talk about the 70 lost years, so he kept the conversation focused on their shared memories and in filling Bucky in on the realities of life in the 20th century.

"So Stark's son owns this place?" Bucky asked, gesturing around him.

"Yes." Steve confirmed. "Tony funds the Avengers and we all live here. You'll meet everyone in time."

Bucky nodded, but Steve could see that he was overwhelmed by the idea. "I get to meet _her_ first, right?" Bucky asked him. "Our third?"

Steve had quietly broached the subject of their being soulmates and to his relief, Bucky had been receptive, though anxious about the identity of their third and relieved when Steve had told him that he'd already found her.

"Whenever you're ready." Steve told him.

"What's she like?" Bucky asked him.

Steve hesitated, it was considered bad luck to tell people about their soulmates. He had been informed that S.H.I.E.L.D kept soul marks classified for that reason, so that people couldn't manipulate the situation. Still, he figured it wouldn't hurt to give Bucky a little warning.

"She's beautiful, smart, and very capable." Steve told him softly. "She's Peggy's niece."

Bucky blinked. "Carter? You serious?"

"Yeah," Steve said with a laugh, "the universe has a strange sense of humor. She's a lot like Peggy, stubborn and independent, but she's her own person as well." At first he'd been worried that he'd see Sharon as a replacement for Peggy, but over the last year that worry had faded as he'd grown to appreciate Sharon for the woman she was and not because of her similarities to Peggy.

"I want to meet her." Bucky said quietly. "I think I'm ready." He'd been in the Tower for almost a month at that point. "If she wants to meet me, that is, after all I'm not exactly the legendary super hero." The last was said with some self-loathing.

"She hasn't been all that impressed with me." Steve told him ruefully.

Bucky grinned. "Having some romantic problems?"

"You were always better at understanding women," Steve reminded him, "Sharon… She's distant." He looked at Bucky. "But I know she's been eager to meet you. I'll go get her."

Bucky nodded and Steve stood up. He hoped that Sharon and Bucky meeting would make everything better or at least that Bucky would be able to reach Sharon in the way that he hadn't, because otherwise he didn't know what to do.

* * *

Sharon was nervous as she followed Steve into Bucky's room.

The last year had made her feel like a bit of a failure on the soulmate front and she knew this was her last chance. What if meeting Bucky didn't do anything? She felt a connection to Steve, yes, but not as strong as those around her and she'd always wondered if it was more to do with the fact that he'd been her hero growing up than any real connection. This would be the real test.

She took in the man on the bed and her first thought was that he looked so pale and she could see the strain on his face. If Steve had inspired awe, Bucky Barnes woke up her protective urges.

She bit her lip, not sure what to say, but Bucky solved that problem and grinned at her. "You're even prettier than Steve said you were."

Sharon looked at Steve, wondering if he'd coached Bucky, despite the fact that it was considered bad luck. He subtly shook his head.

"I see that your reputation as a flirt is well deserved." She said with a laugh.

Bucky's grin widened. "Not anymore, doll. From now on, I'll save my flirting for you and our boy."

Sharon suddenly felt more at ease that she had in a year. She sat down in the bed beside Bucky's chair and took his good hand in hers. "Sounds like a plan." She told him. "Though, really, I don't care who you flirt with, I know you're ours."

And somehow she did. She could feeling Steve standing behind her and she turned to smile at him. He smiled back and she could see the affection in his eyes. Sharon knew things wouldn't become perfect instantly, but some of her fears vanished. It already felt easier. For the first time, she felt that pull that she'd heard about, to both Steve and Bucky. Apparently, she'd needed to meet them both for the bond to truly kick in.

"How long until you can get out of here?" She asked Bucky softly.

"Doc says a few more weeks at least," Bucky told her, "I got some memories to work through."

Sharon ached for him and what he had suffered at HYDRA's hands.

"Well, we'll be here," she promised, "Steve and I, we'll support you every step of the way."

* * *

_A.N2- I know Sharon goes through a pretty quick change of heart, but that's the pull of the completed bond. The tricky part (and why Steve has been more invested) is that **Steve's** bond was complete—he'd met both Sharon and Bucky and said his words, but there bond lay open ended and it caused torment for both of them, particularly Sharon who felt something lacking in her bond._


End file.
